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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148767">The Seven Steps To Realizing You're In Love With Draco Malfoy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lavender_Creator/pseuds/The_Lavender_Creator'>The_Lavender_Creator</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter and the Post-War Chronicles [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aromantic Asexual Charlie Weasley, Bisexual Harry Potter, Gay Disaster Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Indian Harry Potter, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:00:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30148767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lavender_Creator/pseuds/The_Lavender_Creator</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter knew from a very young age that it isn't very pleasant to live in a closet, and after he was moved out of the cupboard under the stairs he thought he was done with that. Of course, he never foresaw he'd wind up in a completely different closet shortly after the start of his 8th year at Hogwarts...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter and the Post-War Chronicles [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2219022</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Molly Weasley and Harry's 8th Year At Hogwarts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the summer of 1998 wanes, there’s nothing Hermione wants more than for the trio to go back to Hogwarts to make up for the 7th year they missed since, after all, there’s no way any of them would be able to get careers without their N.E.W.T.s, despite who they are. Harry has spent the summer staying at the Weasley’s, like he always wanted to do, but feeling rather numb. So, so much blood has been spilled, and it's started to wear on all of them.</p><p>Molly Weasley doesn't take too kindly to these feelings- especially when it tries to swallow up her children.<br/>
When she finds out that Hermione wants to go back to Hogwarts with Ron and Harry, she enthusiastically supports it. "School will keep you from moping around in bed all day! And she's right, you need to get your N.E.W.T.s done!"</p><p>As much as Harry and Ron protest, they inevitably give in as Molly drags them back-to-school shopping and she signs them up for this year, and then finally sends them on their way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Ginny Weasley and Harry's Broken Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ginny, on the other hand, has done absolutely everything in her power to stay away from home. But stops being able to avoid it when Molly starts taking her back-to-school shopping as well for the start of her 7th year and then being put on the train and into the same train car as Harry.</p>
<p>Harry spends the majority of his first week getting back into the swing of things. Hermione helps them get back into routine and has them studying the majority of the time as they missed an entire year of it and they don't remember a lot of the content of previous years. Because of all of this, Harry didn't exactly interact with Ginny much. It's not that he didn't want to or anything, it's just that she never seemed to be around when he was.<br/>Today, however, she's in the Gryffindor Commons at the same time as him, and they're entirely alone, save for the glowing fireplace.</p>
<p>"Ginny! Love, come over here."<br/>"She blinks and looks up from her book. "Love?" There's a surprising amount of coldness in it.<br/>"Yeah. What's wrong?"<br/><em>"What's wrong?"</em> She stands up and goes over to him, "Maybe the fact you disappeared for an entire fucking year to go on a magic quest with my brother and his girlfriend without even telling me? Or that you broke up with me right after Dumbledore's funeral without warning so we aren't even together anymore?"<br/>He blinks and looks confused, "Ginny-"<br/>"We aren't a thing or anything, okay? Not anymore.  You broke up with me to protect me or whatever bollocks- you gave up whatever we were at the end of you're 6th year, and just because you're back and you've killed Voldemort and everything doesn't mean that I'm going to take you back."<br/>"I-" He tries to say something but can't think of anything. After a minute of waiting, she just wipes her eyes and goes off to the girl's dorm.</p>
<p>Harry leans back on the couch, utterly bewildered and trying to decipher what just happened and why his chest utterly aches. What ends up happening, however, is that he goes back upstairs and cries himself to sleep, despite knowing she's probably got a point...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Ronmine and Harry's Becoming The Third Wheel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alternate title: Hello, Potter/Good Evening, Harry</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>What makes it even worse is that Ron and Hermione have been becoming increasingly lovey-dovey, to the point he's about to have to ask Hermione for a charm that fixes cavities. He quickly finds out the meaning of a third wheel, and he finds himself alone around Hogwarts after they've left him to go on some date in the village. And with all his old friends graduated, he finds himself a bit desperate for companionship.</p>
<p>And then he finds out that Draco Malfoy is also having an 8th year at Hogwarts due to the fact his father kept pulling him out of school last year, and he failed on too many absences. He's just desperate enough to accept his company, but Harry didn't think he was desperate enough to start actually preferring it over Hermione and Ron's company. With Hermione and Ron, he usually ends up uncomfortable as it's very easy for them to get on the verge of making out, no matter who's around them.</p>
<p>Draco, on the other hand... It's quiet. They aren't exactly nice to each other, but Harry knows if he ever needs a quiet moment he can wait until roughly 5 pm and he'll find Draco sitting at the library table at the very back on the left side, usually reading something for potions, and he won’t say anything as Harry sits down and relaxes. He could read or doodle or simply put his head down, but no matter what the only words that will be said are a semi-cold <em>"Hello, Potter."</em> that slowly merges into a <em>"Good evening, Harry."</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Charlie Weasley and Harry's Bisexual Awakening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This was originally going to be the third chapter but obviously isn't anymore lol. This is a longggggggggg one-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And then it's finally time for the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor vs Slytherin as per usual. Harry is up in the Gryffindor common room, wearing a gold and red sweater as he happily cares for his new broom. A gorgeous new Firebolt Supreme, gifted to him by... Well, Harry doesn't know exactly. The note just listed them as <em>Anonymous.</em><br/>Oh well, he's learned better than to reject free brooms from anonymous senders- plus, he was in need of a new one since his Firebolt was quickly being outsped by the other brooms, and wasn't in the best shape after all these years.</p>
<p>As he's servicing his broom, Ron is sitting next to him, chewing on a chocolate wand and talking about how his entire family is coming to watch today's match. Harry's first thought is <em>so Charlie will be there?</em> but he just chalks that up to the fact he hasn't seen him since they were first years. As Ron continues to on, he starts talking about Hermione and Harry quickly finds himself wishing he was in that far corner of the library...<br/>And then Ron snaps him out of his thoughts- it's finally time to go down to the Quidditch pitch!<br/>----<br/>There's nothing Harry adores more than the icy autumn wind in his hair as he soars through the afternoon sky, searching for the glint of gold hiding in the clouds before Malfoy can find it. This time feels different, though. He doesn't have something against Malfoy that's driving him to win- he's just genuinely having fun and nothing else.<br/><em>I guess we are a tad too old for that rivalry... Oh! There's the Weasley family!</em></p>
<p>It's not like it's hard to point them out, anyone could see an entire row of fiery red hair a kilometer away! He looks over and tries to wave at them, but realizes they can't see him, too focused on whatever's happening closer to the ground.<br/>And then he sees him.<br/>Charlie Weasley, sticking out like a sore thumb due to how much more muscular he is than the others and much more scarred, both due to his life's work of working with dragons.</p>
<p>It takes a while before Harry realizes that he's staring at him. He, of course, tries to pull his gaze away to start searching for that golden snitch again, but he keeps finding himself admiring him.<br/><em>What's wrong with me? Stop staring at him- you need to find the snitch or-</em><br/><strong>"And Draco Malfoy catches the first snitch of the year! That's an extra 150 points to Slytherin, folks, just enough to push them over into the win!"</strong><br/><em>Shit.</em><br/>----<br/>Harry reluctantly goes back to the ground and watches Slytherin celebrating, a bit jealous but for some reason he finds himself blushing a bit when Malfoy waves at him.<br/>And then he looks over at the stands and sees the Wesaley's again and they start waving as well, and this time he returns it and once again finds himself staring at Charlie.<br/><em>He's much more handsome than I remembered, though I was just 11 at the time... His eyes are so, so blue- I can sorta see them from here... Has he always had such long hair? I don't think I remember him with long hair, though he could have tied it back-</em><br/>Ron snaps him out of it, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulder and giving him a "Tough luck, mate!" as they walk inside.<br/>----<br/>The Gryffindor team is drowning their loss in butterbeer and firewhiskey as Harry finds his mind slipping back to Charlie. Again and again, thinking about a variety of things about him...<br/>"Aye, mate!" Ron flops onto the couch next to him and handed him another firewhiskey, "What's got you blushing?  A girl?"<br/>"I, um, no-" What? Does he really think I have a crush?<br/>"A bloke, then?"<br/>Harry blinks and gets redder and his voice drops to something like a whisper, "So what if it is a bloke?"<br/>Ron looks a bit taken aback. "So you do? It's perfectly fine if you do, mate, Ginny isn't exactly the straightest either, and Charlie's aro/ace-"<br/>He raises an eyebrow, "I don't know what that is-"<br/>"Ginny likes girls and blokes, and Charlie doesn't like anyone in that capacity."<br/>"Oh." It stings a bit- Ginny never told him that and he just found out that the bloke he's apparently crushing on can't like him- though it's not like that matters. He'd never go after Charlie, not with how little he knows about him, how he lives out of the country, and with the age gap... "What's it called when you like both?"<br/>"Bisexual, I think."<br/>Harry takes the cap off his firewhiskey, "I'm bisexual, then, apparently-" He takes a long drink of it.<br/>"This is your first time liking a bloke?"<br/>He thinks back through his life. Oliver Wood's attractive passion for the game, Cedric Diggory's handsome face... "... I think this is just the first time I realized it."<br/>Ron nods and claps him on the shoulder, "Good for you, mate. I'm perfectly okay with it and my family is too. Want me to tell Hermione, or do you want to do that yourself?"<br/>"You can tell her, but don't go talking about it with anyone else."<br/>"Ah, same rules as the whole break-up-"<br/>"Mhm. Thank you for telling me the word, now go enjoy the party."<br/>"Oh, I will, mate!" He gets up, chugs almost half of the newly-opened bottle, and he heads off into the party.<br/>----<br/>Harry goes into that far corner of the library the next morning and finds Draco looking around like he's waiting for someone. When he sees Harry, he stops and waves at him again. "Good evening, Harry."<br/>"Hey, Malfoy." He sits across from him like normal. "Good job at the game yesterday."<br/>Draco blinks, having not expected any response from him, like usual. "Oh, thank you. What happened, were you thinking about how to finally tame that hair of yours and just forget you were looking for the snitch?" It comes out more pointed than he intended, but he knows Harry must not have been focusing. Draco barely wins when Harry's focusing, and that's honestly one of the things that he likes and frustrates him about Harry.<br/>He rolls his eyes, "Nah, I was thinking about blue eyes."<br/>A shock runs through Draco and it's all he can do not to physically react. "Really?"<br/>"Mhm."<br/>The blonde's thoughts dart to his own icy blue eyes and the fact that <em>Harry Potter might've been thinking about them...</em><br/>That is, until he remembers that Ginny is dating Harry and she's got blue eyes.<br/>Draco rolls his eyes and they go back to how their library time usually goes: silent with them just enjoying each other's company.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Hufflepuff Boy and Harry's Closet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's the second Quidditch match of the year: Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw. Ron and Hermione aren't watching- busy off somewhere snogging, probably, so Harry doesn't really have anyone to sit with until Draco spots him and goes over.<br/>
They chat minimally through the match, but it's really just surprising they chat at all. Apparently, Draco is just as alone as him since Pansy and Blasie both graduated last year, and Pansy broke up with him. Something about them liking other people and Harry just nods and doesn't prod. He nudged the conversation there himself, and if he wants to tell more than Harry believes he will.</p>
<p>Harry listens to him and then shivers as a cold wind hits. "Are you cold, Harry?"<br/>
He nods, "Ron took my scarf and hasn’t given it back. He’s probably forgotten by now, honestly-"<br/>
Draco reaches into his bag and pulls out a green Slytherin scarf and offers it to him. "My mother made me take an extra one-" <em>and you look much better in green, it brings out your eyes.</em><br/>
----<br/>
And that's how Harry ends up walking to Hufflepuff's victory party with a Slytherin scarf wrapped around his shoulders, bringing out his eyes just like how Draco knew it would and smelling just like Draco, though Harry tries to ignore that and doesn't even question why he knows exactly what Draco smells like- old paper, dust, aconites, and smoke- perhaps with a touch of daisy that he swears has been getting stronger.<br/>
Most of the people at the party are rather confused, of course, but they're too busy drinking their firewhiskeys to really give a shit.</p>
<p>Harry gets a firewhiskey and then a second, and then he spots a particular Hufflepuff bloke that he can't remember the name of. He goes over and starts talking to him about the victory, off in a corner of the common room so they can't really be seen.<br/>
At some point, the boy grabbed Harry by Draco's scarf and pulled him into a kiss.<br/>
----<br/>
A kiss escalates into more, and Harry finds himself panting and trying to figure out what just happened as the Hufflepuff boy walks out of the broom closet they hid in.</p>
<p>His lips are swollen and he's got hickeys that he covers with the scarf. His mind is buzzing with <em>oh, Merlin, I just snogged a boy-</em> and everything is fuzzy from the firewhiskey. He manages to stumble his way back to Gryffindor tower, thinking about the Hufflepuff boy and how good of a kisser he was.<br/>
<em>I wonder if Draco is a good kisser. He's gotta be, those lips are too perfect to not be excellent to kiss. What would he taste like? Probably tea of some sort- he's really proper, after all.</em></p>
<p>He stumbles up to his dorm and belly flops onto his bed, drawing the curtains for something like privacy. He tries to kick off his pants and wrestle his shirt off, but he's too dizzy for it and resolves to just curl up in his clothes on top of his covers. He sorta pulls the scarf off, but in a way that leaves it draped over his nose. <em>Mhm, that's definitely daisy... Can't even smell the aconite anymore, I think.</em><br/>
He pushes his face into the scarf, drifting off as he thinks about what it would be like if all his clothes smelled like that.<br/>
----<br/>
Harry wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache, only remembering kissing a yellow-clad bloke, stumbling up to his room, and something about daisies and tea. He chalks it all up to the party and thanks Merlin that it's a Sunday so he doesn't need to go to class with this hangover.</p>
<p>Later that evening, Draco gets to the library and to his normal spot. Harry isn't there, but his scarf is folded up messily and placed where Harry usually sits across from him, a little note with <em>Thanks for the lend!</em> scribbled on it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*laughs in flower meanings*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Draco Malfoy and Harry's Unwanted Crush</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next time Harry arrives at the library, he finds Draco in the middle of writing a letter to Pansy, begging for advice. Harry reads 'Dear Pansy,' and then pulled his gaze away to pull a book out of his bag, something inside him really not wanting to betray his privacy.<br/>
Draco doesn't look up from his letter until he's finished it. "Oh- Good evening, Harry. Do you have any envelopes or anything?"<br/>
"Oh, yeah-" He pulls one out of his bag and then goes to hand it to him. He's smiling softly at him and he feels his heart jump to his throat.<br/>
"Thank you," he takes the envelope and carefully slides the letter inside, and then goes off to seal and mail it, leaving Harry alone and wondering why it is that his heart is pounding.<br/>
----<br/>
Draco seals the letter containing his complete and utter gay panic and sends it off to Pansy, hoping that her response will come sooner rather than later, and then he starts heading back to the library. He had left his stuff there, trusting that Harry wouldn't rummage through it all to try and expose him as doing something nefarious, and he was right to.<br/>
When he gets back he finds his stuff exactly how he left it, Harry with his head down on his book and messing with the pages. Draco reaches into his bag and pulls out two chocolate frogs he had received from his mother this morning and tosses one at Harry, it bopping him on the head and making him flinch up. Draco starts laughing and Harry blushes a little, "Shut up, Malfoy! What was that for!?" He looks around for what hit him and finds the chocolate frog. "Oh- You know we aren't supposed to eat in the library! And shh- if you keep laughing like that then we're going to get kicked out-"<br/>
"Oh, so you <em>don't</em> want the chocolate frog? Give it back, then-"<br/>
"I didn't say that-" Draco manages to calm his laughter as Harry rips open the plastic packaging and takes a bite of the frog, looking at the card. "Damnit, I already have three of her. What'd you get?" Draco holds up his card, "Oh! I don't have her yet!!"<br/>
He sorta tosses the card at him the way you'd throw a frisbee, but it lands on his book instead of hitting him. "You can have it."<br/>
"Thanks-" He takes another bite of his frog and looks at him.</p><p>
  <em>I didn't know his eyes were so close to grey, or that it really just changes when the light glints off it like that. He must've done his hair differently today, there's a very slight cowlick on the back of his head and he normally would've made sure it's all perfect.<br/>
His laugh is absolutely spectacular, especially when he really isn't trying to keep his composure like that. It's kinda cute actually...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>...Draco Malfoy is cute. And sorta really handsome. And he made my heart pound like that and my cheeks are all warm...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Fucking hell, I have a crush on Draco Malfoy!</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Hermione Granger and Harry's Failed Test</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry didn't intend on failing his potions test, his mind swirling with thoughts of Draco. How he smells like daisies, how he seems to drink Earl Grey tea every morning with breakfast, how he's started regularly smuggling candy into the library and always shares it with him, how his smile is always soft and small but genuine, how he makes Harry's stomach twist up in knots...</p><p>Hermione doesn't like that he failed a test and suggests the three of them need to go to the library to study. Harry goes with it, and they pick a table with four seats, the couple on one side and Harry sitting opposite them.</p><p>They're in there for hours, Harry nervously checking his watch since he wants to wrap this up before his regular time with Draco. Hermione then tells him to stop looking at his watch because she really needs him to focus.<br/>She's having Harry read through a passage when Draco arrives at the library and starts going to his usual table, but he stops in his tracks when he sees the three friends sitting together, and that open seat next to Harry.</p><p>A seat he intends to fill.</p>
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